Nadine & Kevin

Now this one was a party of a lifetime. And I’m sure I will be thinking back to this wedding for years to come, to the dancing under the moonlight, the laughter and tears during the cermony and above all the music! But let me start at the beginning: Nadine, Kevin and I had only met through Skype before their wedding so I had to introduce myself to them on the day itself. One of the first things I said to Nadine is not to fret: She had ripped her dress while getting out of the car right before the ceremony. It was a tiny tear and I don’t think anyone really noticed - I told her that if it really bothered her, there was still photoshop ;) Brides, remember: You really don’t have to worry about a thing on your wedding day. Even if something doesn’t go as planned that’ll become a memory you’ll love to think back to in years to come. Make the best out of the situation, smile, and file it away under things to worry about tomorrow. Because let’s be honest: By then you’ll have so many more impressions of the day to focus on, you might just forget all about that tiny blip in the day :)

Anyways, back to Nadine and Kevin. The two of them we’re one of the increasing number of Tinder-couples whose weddings I got to photograph this year. That platform really seems to be bringing the right people together after all ;) Kevin was Nadine’s first match after downloading the app and she deleted it again shortly after their first date. They hit it off right away and I can only imagine how happy their relationship was leading up to their wedding day. On that day, one could really tell the love the two have for each other in the looks they exchanged during the ceremony, in the vows they exchanged and also in the way they danced together in the evening. It was gorgeous to witness, not only for me, but also for the guests which had flown in from all over the world to be there. Kevin is a musician from the US and was staying in Switzerland for his studies when he met Nadine. She had just returned from a two-year-stay in Australia and they quickly realized they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Being an international couple, the proposal happened abroad as well: during a weekend-getaway in Vienna Kevin asked Nadine to be his wife. Which brings us to that beautiful July-Saturday at Wildenstein Castle, where the two of them exchanged their vows.

Since the weather wasn’t looking too great, the ceremony was moved inside. Daniel from Zeremoniar.ch held a wonderful bilingual ceremony supported by many talented musicians and by the maid of honor and the best man who held extremely funny and truly emotional speeches (what a wonderful idea!). With Kevin being a trombonist, the whole of their wedding was filled with music: A friend of the couple composed the pieces for the ceremony himself - how cool and unique is that? There were fanfares to call the guests to dinner and in the evening an amazingly energetic band had everyone dancing to their music wildly. But we’ll get to that in a moment. Thankfully, the rain stopped before the reception so everyone got to stroll around the beautiful castle grounds. During reception and dinner Nadine and Kevin had booked a magician and while I was always a sceptic of such intermezzos I must say that Tom Davis did a specatacular job! He had me and all of the guests laughing, some of them were even in tears because of his talent in picking the right moment and the right assistants for his sketches. And although both the magician and the infamous “International, Intellectual, Bilingual and also very Good Pub Quiz" (named and prepared by the best man and the maid of honor) filled the evening up quite a bit, it never seemed like too much. The guests and the bridal couple got to chat, laugh and celebrate the way you’re supposed to without any of the games ever feeling forced. I could tell everyone was truly enjoying themselves.

Before the wedding, Nadine and Kevin had told me that the location only allowed the party to go on until midnight but that they really wanted their guests to get to dance and celebrate despite the curfew. Many weddings tend to try to fit in too many things like games and speeches during dinner so that when midnight comes, the party has barely started. Everyone’s still waiting for the cake to be cut while the party should have started a while ago. But this wedding was different and it really surprised me how extraordinarily great everything turned out: After dinner and a first dance inside, Nadine and Kevin had their guests move back to the courtyard for the cutting of the cake. By then, the (incredible!) band Error404 had already set up everything and started to play right away. While people were still a bit timid in the beginning, they defnitely loosened up after Kevin was invited to join the band for one song. And when, instead of only a handful of people dancing, almost the whole wedding party gets up and wildly dances under the stars (and a full moon!), then it's definitely a wedding to remember.

Nadine and Kevin, I’m really happy that I got to be there for your wedding day and I wish you the absolute best for your future - including your newest furry addition, of course ;)